Gifts of the Heart
by singerme
Summary: Another short story set before season one, set around Christmas time.
1. Chapter 1

**Gifts of the Heart**

**A/N: This is also before Season 1 and takes place just a few months after the end of The Other Half**

**And thank you, all of you, who have encouraged me and stuck by me.**

I don't own these characters; I just like to spend time with them. No other profit to be had.

**KMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKM**

Kitty wrapped her cape tightly about her thin shoulders as she hurriedly made her way down the boardwalk to Mr. Jonas' store in the early morning light. The bitter winter wind was whipping her cape and dress unmercifully about her and she was afraid if she didn't make it into the store quickly, she might expose more of herself to the citizens of Dodge than she did normally.

Finally reaching the door, she was practically pushed inside by the blast of cold wind that tried to enter with her. After barely getting the door closed she turned to see Mr. Jonas looking up at her curiously. Seldom did she get up early, and on the few occasions she was roused out of bed before nine or ten o'clock, she never left the confines of the saloon.

"Good morning, Mr. Jonas." She put on her brightest smile.

"Morning, Miss Kitty." He nodded a little uncertainly. As a business owner, he accepted that not all of his customers would be what he, and others around town, thought of as 'proper', but still the inhabitants of the saloons usually saved their visits for much later in the day. "Can I… uh… help you?"

Kitty blushed slightly, not quite certain how to begin. She had come for a Christmas present for Matt. Only she didn't know what to get him. Although he had very little, he, by the same token, needed very little. And what he did need, he probably wouldn't tell her about.

And of course there was the matter of money. She had very little. Saloon girls didn't make a great deal and what little she did make was divided between her savings and trying to keep a roof over her head and food in her mouth. If Bill didn't have hard boiled eggs and pretzels on the bar most of the time, she knew, she'd most likely go without food many days. Add to that, gifts for Doc, Chester, Bill and of course Matt. She wasn't sure what she could afford.

"Well?" Jonas prompted when she didn't immediately respond.

"Uh, well, yes." Kitty finally answered. "I need… well… I…" Kitty Russell was not a woman easily intimidated or struck speechless but for some reason, Mr. Jonas was doing just that to her as he stood and stared at her over the little round spectacles perched at the end of his nose.

Finally swallowing hard, Kitty approached the counter, looking around as she did so to make sure no one else was about. She wasn't overly fond of the thought of any one overhearing her. Her relationship with Matt was new and exciting and the best thing that had ever happened to her, but it was also secret.

"I… uh, need a present for a friend of mine for Christmas." She said quietly, eyes continuously darting about the store.

"Oh." Jonas sounded a little disappointed. "Well, the ladies things are over there." He waved her off to the right.

Kitty glanced in that direction but remained rooted to the spot in front of the counter. "Umm…, no, Mr. Jonas. It's actually a male friend."

"Ohhh." Jonas exclaimed with a sly grin. "I see. Well, what exactly were you wanting to get for this 'male' friend?" He asked. He had an idea of course, he wasn't blind after all. He saw the way the young Marshal looked at her as he sometimes squired her about town. And he certainly hadn't missed the way she looked at him.

Kitty pensively bit her lip as she looked around and then back at Jonas. "I don't know." She confessed. "He… he doesn't exactly need too much, and well…"

Never the most astute of men, Jonas did occasionally have a flash of insight when it came to his customer's needs and it suddenly dawned on him what might be ailing the saloon girl in front of him. An acute case of being poor. Glancing about him, Jonas looked at the many items he had for sale trying to pick out something nice but not too expensive. Suddenly his eyes landed on his display of leather goods. "What about leather goods?" He asked leading her over to the display table. "I have some very nice things here."

Kitty looked at what was lying there on the table and her eye landed a knife sheath lying prominently in the center of the table. Made of hand embossed leather with a wide belt loop and a short fringe along the edge. If such things could be considered pretty, she thought that was probably the prettiest.

"Uhm, Mr. Jonas. What about that knife sheath you have there? How much is it?" She thought about the big buck knife that Matt had, a gift from a friend, he had told her. That bone handled knife would fit perfectly in there, she thought.

Jonas glanced at the two sheaths he had on display and picked up the cheapest and plainest of the two. It wasn't too impressive in looks but it was serviceable. "Uh, this would one dollar and twenty five cents. " He told her as he extended the belt towards her.

But Kitty shook her head. "Uh, no, Mr. Jonas. The other one." She pointed to the only other and most expensive of the two on the table.

Jonas laid the cheap one down that he had picked up in error and seized upon the other one holding it up to show her. "This is a nice piece, alright." He smiled. "But of course, it's a more than the other one." He started to hand it to her, but stopped. "It's a great deal more."

Kitty carefully hid her anxiety at that news behind a neutral expression and reached for the sheath. "That's fine, may I see it?"

With a shrug, Jonas handed it over to her.

Kitty was dazzled by it. It was brand new soft leather with embossing on its front. Kitty could just see Matt wearing it on the belt around his narrow hips. "I'll take it." She said, afraid to give it too much thought, praying she'd have the money to pay for it.

As Jonas led the way back over to his counter, she idly wondered if he'd trade the sheath for the promise of company for the night. Not hers of course, but she was sure she might get Lucy to do it. But as soon as she thought it, she dismissed it. Mr. Jonas was married, and although that might not bother Lucy, it would her. Besides, surely the sheath couldn't be that much.

A few minutes later, Kitty walked out of the store with the nicely wrapped package and a lump in her throat. The sheath had cost that much. She was now broke for the rest of the month, not to mention part of January and she still had nothing to give to Doc, Chester or Bill.

She could, of course, dip into her savings but she was loath to do that. That money was her only means of escaping her current circumstances, and she wasn't about to jeopardize that for anything. With a long sigh, she realized just how hard things were going to be for her for the next month.

Then she remembered her jewelry. It was mostly fake but she did have that one real gold necklace and more than once Lucy had remarked on how much she liked it. If she worked it just right, she might be able to sell it to her co-worker for enough to pay her rent and finish buying Christmas.

She'd probably still have nothing left for food but cradling the package close to her chest, she didn't care. Somehow she'd make it. Matt deserved the sheath and it would look so nice hanging on his hip with bone handled knife nestled into it. Smiling at that thought, she made her way back to the saloon, broke but happy.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Gifts of the Heart 2**

I don't own these characters; I just like to spend time with them. No other profit to be had.

**KMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKM**

Matt strode down the boardwalk, of Hays main thoroughfare, heading towards the general store. It was his hope he could find something nice for Kitty in there. He didn't savor the idea of buying anything for her in Dodge, knowing how the tongues would wag if it got out that he had bought a gift for a woman, especially that woman. There were already enough rumors going on about them, the way it was.

Stepping inside the much warmer store, Matt looked around at the myriad number of things on display trying desperately to think of something Kitty would like and that he could afford. By the time he'd paid expenses from his last check as well as paid Chester and then loaned him another five on top of it, not to mention the doctor bill he paid to Doc, for sewing up his arm last week, as well as the money he'd given to the widow Maxwell for supplies last week, Matt had very little left to his name.

But he didn't care if it took everything he had left and more. If he could find the right gift, it would be worth it, because the girl he was buying for was worth it.

"Uh, good morning, Marshal." Amos Hood, the proprietor, greeted him with a smile as he entered. Although the Marshal didn't live there, he usually stopped in when he was in town to fill up on supplies before he left again. Hood suspected nothing else from the law man this time.

"Good morning, Mr. Hood." Matt returned the greeting. "Getting kind of cold out there." He stalled while he desperately looked around to see if he could spot anything. Mr. Hood, being a bachelor, was not any more likely to know what to get Kitty than he was and he sure didn't want the genial old man to call in help from some nosy and overly helpful female.

"Sure is." Hood acknowledged with a nod noticing the way Marshal Dillon scanned the interior as though in search of something. "Can I help you with something?"

Matt started to give up and accept help, unqualified though it may be, when his eye landed on a small jewelry box sitting all by itself on a shelf. Walking over, Matt picked it and opened it to see a tiny little figure turning around and around inside while a small music box on the bottom played a peaceful tune. Though, not large, it was ornately carved and the small figurine looked to be made of gold.

"Pretty little thing, ain't it." Hood said as he walked up to stand beside Matt.

Matt nodded, licking his lips nervously, wondering if he had enough money for it. "Uh… How much do you want for it?"

"I'm asking thirty." Hood answered but reconsidered when he saw the look on Matt's face. "But seeing as how it's you, Marshal, I'll take twenty five."

Matt ran his finger over the carving, but regretfully shook his head. "Sure is a pretty thing." He said almost wistfully. "But I don't have quite that much."

As he started to put it back on the shelf, Hood placed his hand on his arm. "Lowest I could go would be eighteen. I paid more than that for it myself. That little dancing girl inside is pure gold."

Matt hesitated for a long time. He only had nine dollars to his name and he still had to get at least a couple of cans of beans for the return trip to Dodge. He didn't have anything with him of value but his gun, his horse and his…. his buck knife.

It had been a gift to him, from a mountain man named Abe Blocker. He'd been offered fifty dollars for it once and had turned it down because the knife and the man who'd given it to him were more important than the money. But now, now he had someone in his life, who was more important than them.

Reaching to his hip, he pulled the knife from its sheath and looked at it for several minutes and then back at the jewelry box. He knew Kitty had a lot of fake jewelry and only one real gold necklace. But she deserved something like this, something to elevate even glass and reflect the value of the woman he gave it to.

Taking a deep breath, he looked back up at the store owner. "Mr. Hood, I wonder if we could make ourselves a trade of sorts."

An hour later, Matt walked out of the store with a small bag of staples and a smaller package, wrapped securely in brown paper with a bright red bow atop of it. His belt was minus the knife and its sheath, and he felt a little off without its comforting weight on his hip. But thinking of the beautiful girl with the red hair, blue eyes and beguiling smile, who would receive part of the proceeds from it, he didn't miss it. What he had back in Dodge was worth much more to him and he couldn't wait to get back to her.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Gifts of the Heart 3**

**Just a thank you to all those that were kind enough to leave reviews, whether I was able to pm you or not. I appreciate you.**

**MKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMK**

**(Christmas Eve)**

Matt strode quickly down the boardwalk towards the Long Branch being chased by the howling winds and falling snow. Although it had been a near thing, he'd managed to make it back to town by Christmas as he'd promised Kitty and he couldn't wait to see the expression on her face when she saw the gift he'd gotten her. Her jewelry, fake and real, would look really nice in there.

Pausing at the batwing doors, He looked in to see her sitting at one of the tables with some lonesome cowpoke and his bottle. From the look on her face, she was not having a good time. But at least she wasn't dealing cards. After what happened not too long ago, she had promised him, she wouldn't deal any longer and so far she'd kept her word.

She looked up when he entered and quickly made her apologies to the drunken cowboy as she rose and made her way hurriedly across the bar room floor to meet him. "Hey, Cowboy!" She smiled her special smile just for him. "You made it!"

"I promised I would, didn't I." He answered a little cockily, proud of himself. "When do you get off?"

Kitty's smile dimmed just a little. "Not until after we close. But I can take a break. I've been here since noon and Bill wouldn't mind if I took an hour off."

"Alright." Matt smiled. "Why don't you get your coat and we'll go somewhere to talk."

Kitty arched a brow at him, glancing around before leaning in close to whisper, "Talk? Is that all you want to do?"

Matt's face reddened for a moment as he shook his head. "For right now, yeah. But after you get off, that may change."

Happily, Kitty nodded. "I'll meet you out back," she told him as she rushed over to the bar and spoke quickly with Bill before disappearing into the back room.

It didn't take Matt's long legs any time at all to make it around to the back in time to greet Kitty coming out with her cloak and an oddly shaped package in her hand.

"Oh, it's cold out here." She exclaimed as a gust of wind nearly rocked her slight frame backwards.

"Yeah, it is." Matt wrapped an arm around her. "Tell ya what. Let's go over to my room for a little bit. It's a lot warmer there."

Kitty gave him a mischievous look. "Thought you said that would be later."

Matt shook his head at her, as he pulled her down the alley. "It will be."

Once they reached his room, they were both chilled through. "I, uh, don't have anything to drink." He told her. "I didn't think to get anything."

"That's alright, Matt." She said as she took off her cloak, laid her package down and stepped up to him, wrapping her arms around him. "You can warm me up better than anything else."

Matt happily hugged her back for several moments, reveling in the feel of her in his arms. "I missed you while I was gone."

She raised her head, getting up on tiptoe to bring her lips to his. "I missed you more."

For several moments, the cold outside and even the chill evident in the room was completely forgotten as the two warmed each other. But finally, Matt reluctantly pulled away. "We keep this up, and we'll both be fired for abandoning our jobs."

"I wouldn't mind." Kitty answered.

"Yeah, well, I would." Matt held her for a moment longer. "I'm a growing boy still and I like to eat."

Kitty chuckled. "Yeah, I know. Oh well. It was nice while it lasted." When she finally released him, she turned around, picking up the package she'd brought with her and handed it to him. "I hope you like this." She said softly, as she placed it in his hands.

Matt looked at it for a moment before turning back to the chest in the corner and opening the top drawer. "Not as much as I hope you like this." He told her. Reaching in, he pulled out the jewelry box and handed it to her.

Matt held his present unopened for a moment wanting Kitty to open hers first. As Kitty pulled the paper off she eyed the box and swallowed the lump in her throat, knowing she'd sold all of her jewelry to Lucy in order to buy not only Matt's sheath but a small bottle of hair tonic for Chester and a case for Doc's spectacles, not to mention to pay her rent to Bill for the month.

"It's… it's beautiful, Matt." She wiped away a tear as she opened it and watched the tiny little figure inside whirl around. "I'm… I'm sorry; I didn't get you anything nearly as wonderful as this."

Matt reached out and tenderly wiped the tear from her cheek. "Don't cry." He pleaded before tearing the paper off of his gift to find the fancy sheath for the knife he no longer had. Swallowing his own lump, he ran his thumb over the embossing on it before laying it down, and pulling Kitty up into his arms. "I couldn't ask for anything more wonderful. It's a beauty." He told her as he claimed her lips again.

Little more was said by the two as they reluctantly parted yet again and Matt escorted Kitty back to the Long Branch. He didn't quite know how to tell her that he'd sold his knife in order to buy her the box and Kitty couldn't figure out how to tell him she'd sold her jewelry in order to secure the sheath. Instead they walked in uncomfortable silence to the back door of the saloon where they kissed one last time and parted company till later that night.

When they finally rejoined each other, later that night, they were a little too preoccupied at first to discuss much of anything. Much later, as they lay quietly together, Kitty finally decided to confess, when Matt asked if the box was big enough for all of her jewelry.

Turning in the bed to face him, Kitty could barely see his face in the shadows of the room. "Matt, I… well, I don't have any jewelry."

"What?" Matt questioned, surprised. "Where's all that jewelry you usually wear?"

"I sold it." She whispered.

"You what? Why? Kitty, if you needed money, why didn't you say something? I would've…" He stopped when he realized he wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. He had no money either.

"In the first place, Mr. Dillon." Kitty pulled back a little further. "I will not take money from you for anything. In the second place, I doubt you have much, especially not after buying that box. I don't even know where you got the money for it in the first place. What'd you do, sell your horse?"

Matt took a deep breath, pulling her back to him and kissing her on the forehead. "No. I sold my knife." He told her.

Once again Kitty pulled back, straining in the half-light to see his face. "You sold… you sold your knife? Matt you loved that knife. You told me your friend Abe gave that to you."

"He did," Matt admitted. "And I did like that knife an awful lot. But that's just it, Kitty. I liked it. I love you. Big difference."

"Oh, Matt." Kitty exclaimed with a slight chuckle. "Look at us. Are we a mess or what?"

"Well, we're something." He agreed. "Guess we should've checked with each other first."

"Na uh." Kitty shook her head. "If we'd done that, it would've ruined Christmas for each of us. It doesn't matter to me if I don't have any jewelry to put in that box, it's from you and that's all that matters to me."

"That's how I feel." Matt told her. "I'll never get another knife like that, but I don't care. I'll keep that sheath for the rest of my life, just because you gave it to me."

"Oh, Matt." She said again, this time softer and more passionately as he reached for her one more time and reclaimed her body and soul. Few words more were said, but few words were needed. Though still relatively new to each other, they had already discovered things about their partner that brought them both the most pleasure. When they finally lay back, spent but happy, Matt placed one last kiss on Kitty's forehead.

"I remember Doc saying something about us being a pair to draw to." He said with a grin. "You know, I think he's right."

"Me too," Kitty agreed. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

Matt suddenly laughed, causing Kitty to turn her head to look at him. "What?"

"Oh nothing." He continued to chuckle. "Just wondering what we'll sell next year to buy each other Christmas."

Kitty joined in the laughter for a moment. "Nothing." She finally answered. "We don't need anything else. We have each other."

"By golly, Kitty." Matt nodded. "I think you're right."

"Merry Christmas, Cowboy." Kitty told him, as she settled drowsily back against him, tired but happy. "I love you."

"Merry Christmas, Kitty." Matt returned. "I love you too."

The End

**And now you know why Matt doesn't wear a buck knife on his belt and why Kitty didn't have as many rings and jewelry in season 1 as she did later on. (Or at least this my explanation for it anyway)**


End file.
